Arvest Bank has promoted Mike Willard to president and CEO of the bank’s North Central Arkansas and West Plains, Missouri region, effective July 1.

Willard currently is the president and CEO of Arvest Bank’s Prairie Grove market in Northwest Arkansas. During his 15-year career with Arvest Bank, Willard also served as consumer loan officer, commercial loan officer and community bank president in Mountain Home, Ark. from 2010-2013.

He currently is a member of the Arkansas Economics Advisory Board and has served on the board of directors for the Baxter Regional Medical Center Foundation, Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, Mountain Home Education Foundation, Mountain Home Rotary Club and Performing Arts Council for Arkansas State University Mountain Home, in addition to leadership roles with other organizations.

“Mike’s previous work and compassion for the North Central Arkansas community make his return to this area a perfect fit,” said Don Walker, regional executive for Arvest Bank. “He was very invested in the surrounding communities and in serving our customers and local businesses, so I’m sure he’s looking forward to this opportunity.”

Willard earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla. He is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking.

“Tom has been an exceptional leader in this market for many years and our customers and associates have benefitted from his experience and leadership,” said Walker. “We are fortunate to be able to utilize Tom’s experience in our Springfield market and name a successor who also had expertise in North Central Arkansas. We thank Tom for his great work here and wish him continued success in our sister territory.”

Dame’s history with Arvest began in 2000 when he joined the bank at Yellville. He has served as president and CEO of the North Central Arkansas market since 2014.

About Arvest

Arvest Bank, named by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2018, operates more than 250 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a group of 15 locally managed banks, each with its own board and management team. These banks serve customers in more than 120 communities, with extended weekday banking hours at many locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.

Avant will serve as a commercial banker in Edmond and brings more than 10 years of banking experience with him. In his new role, Avant will generate, evaluate and approve commercial loans, among other duties.

Avant graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in arts and advertising. He currently resides in Edmond with his wife, Elizabeth. The couple has two children and is expecting a third.

Additionally, Avant is a member of the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce and is involved with Edmond Young Professionals, an organization with the goal of establishing community leaders. Avant is active in his children’s school and his family’s church community as well.

The Journal Record in Oklahoma City has releases the results of its second-ever Reader Rankings, and for the second year in a row, Arvest Bank has received prominent recognition.

Before we get to the specifics, let’s look at how the Reader Rankings were compiled. For starters, The Journal Record posted an online ballot with 52 categories encompassing the areas of construction and design, energy, entertainment, finance/accounting, general business, health care, higher educations, hospitality, legal services, real estate and information technology.

Readers were then notified of the ballot via direct emails and print ads. In total, more than 600 businesses and organizations were listed on the official online ballot.

Voting took place from March 5-April 16, and the surveys generated more than 2,250 responses from across Oklahoma. The results were tallied to come up with the list of award-winning businesses, and that brings us back to Arvest.

We are proud to share the following categories, in which Arvest Bank and Arvest Wealth Management took top honors:

Best Bank for Business Based Outside Oklahoma

1. Arvest Bank

2. JP Morgan Chase Bank

3. Bank of America

Best Bank for Small Business

1. Arvest Bank

2. Great Plains Bank

3. BancFirst

Best Wealth Management Provider

1. Arvest Wealth Management

2. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

3. Heritage Trust

Additionally, The Journal Record recognized and celebrated the winners on June 14, at an event held at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. We are sure it was said that night, but let us say it again…

Broken Arrow’s Rockets Over Rhema is just around the corner and you could win VIP tickets! Just comment on Facebook with your favorite fireworks and you will be entered to win 4 admission tickets to the VIP tent at Rockets Over Rhema!

The VIP Tent will have free food and drinks. These are not available for purchase to the public, so it is very exclusive opportunity!

Two winners will be chosen at random and contacted on June 25th.

Disclosure: Winners chosen at random, open to the public, associates and immediate family are not eligible.

Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.